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Sunday, January 27, 2013

I don't even....

Pat Roberts will seek a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. He formally announced his intent at the Kansas GOP Convention on Saturday.Of course, there was plenty of applause, but deep down I felt like booing. I pretty much hate everything about this. Roberts has been in Washington since 1980 -- nearly as long as I've been alive. If you include the time Roberts worked as an administrative assistant to then-Rep. Keith Sebelius, Roberts has been actively engaged in Washington since the late 1960s.A lot has changed since the 1960s, but one thing has remained infuriatingly the same -- the U.S. Senate.I'll be honest -- I detest the U.S. Senate. For the most part, I believe the individuals who "serve" there do little in the best interests of the country and much in the best interests of themselves. The job of a U.S. Senator is to get re-elected. The end.How else to explain the current Senate which hasn't passed a budget in hundreds of days?And ever there is Sen. Pat Roberts, considered a statesman by virtue of getting elected.Look, I like Sen. Roberts. He's a nice enough guy, but he will not make any waves. He will not rock any boats. I do not understand it. Most 76-year-olds are willing to wear purple suits and red hats in public as some sort of matter of pride. It's their way of saying, I've lived long enough I'll do as I damn well please.But not Sen. Roberts.Where every member of the Kansas delegation in the House voted against the plan to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff -- there was Roberts being a 'statesman' by raising your taxes without the agreement of any cuts.This is a regularly repeated occurrence for those in the U.S. Senate. They are absolutely willing to sell the people down the river in return for being called 'statesman' and getting re-elected.The truly disgusting part is that we're all going to vote for Sen. Roberts again.If he draws a primary opponent, it will be a miracle. And even if he does draw a primary opponent, everyone will tip-toe around for fear of upsetting Roberts and the many people who owe him their careers.So, we get Roberts for six more years. Six.More.Years. And he's 76 now. (Bob Dole left the Senate when he was 76 to run for president.) By the time he finishes the next term, he'll be 82 or 83. I'm betting he runs again then, too. My only hope is that sometime between now and then Kansans will say, we've had enough.